Search Results (1,085)

This study examines how income inequality conditions the effectiveness of monetary policy in delivering sustainable economic growth in Saudi Arabia over 1980–2024, a question of direct relevance to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda and to Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 10. We apply an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds-testing framework to four monetary policy instruments—the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) repo rate, broad money supply (M2), domestic credit to the private sector, and the real effective exchange rate (REER)—with the Gini coefficient introduced as a moderator through mean-centered interaction terms. The bounds test confirms a robust long-run cointegrating relationship, and the error-correction term indicates rapid adjustment to equilibrium. In the long run, interest rates exert a significant negative effect on growth and on trade openness, a positive effect, while income inequality significantly moderates the growth effects of broad money supply and private-sector credit. Diagnostic tests support the adequacy of the specification. The findings indicate that financial inclusion is not only a distributional objective but a macroeconomic prerequisite for effective monetary policy transmission, with direct implications for integrating inclusive-finance policy into the Vision 2030 framework. Full article

Water, a precious but limited resource since prehistoric times, has driven humans to develop systems for collecting and storing it. Evidence dating back to third millennium BC documents shows such systems among the Sumerians in the Fertile Crescent, as well as in Asia, Africa, China, and India. Aqueducts and cisterns, along with impluvium–compluvium systems, allowed the Romans to meet private and public needs; in Venice, wells provided filtered water until 1884. Today, climate change and increasing soil sealing urgently demand intelligent water collection and management, aligned with five of the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (6, 11, 12, 13, 15). Buildings and construction account for about 35% of the global freshwater consumption. The construction sector, historically involved in the development of innovative rainwater harvesting and reuse systems, now faces a growing challenge in exploring innovative nature-based solutions for climate-resilient buildings (e.g., fog harvesting, green roofs for rainwater storage). Based on these considerations, we propose a scoping literature review of the last 15 years on innovative rainwater harvesting and storage systems. The analysis aims to provide a comparative mapping of the technological solutions that have emerged, to identify the geographical areas and climatic conditions favourable to each system, and to serve as a knowledge base for the development of integrated construction systems suitable for each specific context. A total of 136 peer-reviewed Open Access articles indexed in Scopus (2010–2024) were analysed following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Full article

The development of entrepreneurial competences has become established as a strategic learning outcome in higher education. However, shortcomings persist in students’ competency profiles, which have led institutions to design training programs aimed at strengthening entrepreneurial mindsets and improving the employability of their graduates. This study examines entrepreneurial competences among university students from a gender perspective within digitally mediated learning contexts. To this end, a quantitative methodology was employed, using a non-experimental, cross-sectional design with a sample of 705 students (77% women and 23% men), with a mean of 4.56 years of professional experience. Entrepreneurial competences were assessed using a validated questionnaire measuring five dimensions: self-awareness and self-confidence, vision of the future, achievement motivation, planning, and persuasion. The results show moderately high levels of entrepreneurial competences, with achievement motivation emerging as the strongest dimension. Gender differences were limited, except in self-awareness and self-confidence, where men obtained higher scores, while women showed a stronger positive tendency in achievement motivation, suggesting differentiated patterns of competence development. Sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, and early work experience showed a modest but statistically significant predictive effect on entrepreneurial competences, highlighting the relevance of integrating psychological, cultural, and contextual factors in future research. The study highlights the potential of inclusive and personalized pedagogical strategies to strengthen self-efficacy, motivation, and equity in the development of entrepreneurial competences in higher education, and the results are discussed in relation to their relevance for current digitally mediated educational contexts, labour market competence demands, and their alignment with international frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Full article

Despite extensive global progress monitoring under the 2030 Agenda, existing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) assessment frameworks remain structurally blind to within-country distributional disparities. This study addresses this gap by developing a methodologically transparent composite SDG index for multi-level governance assessment, applying it to 218 Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS 2) regions across the European Union over the period 2015–2022 (1744 region-year observations). In this context, the term “region-year observations” refers strictly to the balanced panel data structure, which is calculated by observing 218 distinct sub-national regions continuously over an 8-year period (218 regions × 8 years The index aggregates four dimensions—social, economic, educational, and institutional—using min-max normalization. The analysis yields three main results: (1) Spatial econometric analysis reveals strong, persistent positive spatial autocorrelation, with high-performing clusters concentrated in Northern and Western Europe and lagging clusters in Eastern and Southern peripheries. (2) A spatial error model identifies institutional governance quality as a consistent statistical predictor of sub-national SDG performance. The significance of the spatial error parameter (λ = 0.497) suggests that unobservable institutional and geographical common shocks systematically link neighboring regions. (3) Cluster analysis further distinguishes four regional archetypes: Disadvantaged, Leaders, Educated, and Transitional. These findings underscore the need for spatially aware SDG monitoring infrastructure and investment in institutional capacity as prerequisites for equitable governance, as integrating spatial dependencies is crucial to prevent national averages from masking severe regional developmental traps. Full article

Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) co-contamination in construction and demolition waste landfill soils presents a significant challenge to ecosystem health, necessitating effective remediation strategies. This study investigated a synergistic approach combining a composite amendment (compost, superphosphate, desulfurized gypsum) with seven plant species to elucidate the interactions driving metal immobilization and phytoextraction. The amendment significantly altered soil properties: it reduced total Cd while increasing its bioavailability, and enhanced soil fertility (e.g., elevated organic matter and total nitrogen). Plant responses varied: Solanum americanum Mill. and Tagetes patula L. exhibited high Cd phytoextraction capacity, whereas Lolium perenne L. sequestered Cd/Pb primarily in roots. The bacterial community shifted from an oligotrophic, stress-tolerant state (e.g., Sphingomonas-dominated) in contaminated soil to a copiotrophic, functionally active state (e.g., Streptomyces-enriched) in amended soil. Community structure was strongly correlated with available Cd, pH, and nutrient levels. Key microbial biomarkers were specifically enriched in different plant rhizospheres. In contrast, the fungal community exhibited minimal responsiveness. These findings demonstrate that remediation efficiency is governed by an integrated “amendment–plant–microbe” framework: amendments regulate metal bioavailability, plants execute extraction or stabilization, and the restructured microbiome supports nutrient cycling and plant health. This integrated remediation strategy directly supports the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, especially on environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes and land degradation neutrality. This mechanistic understanding underscores the necessity of combined biological and chemical strategies for sustainable remediation of co-contaminated soils, ultimately enabling ecological reclamation and safe recycling of such urban marginal lands into productive uses. Full article

In the context of the dual-carbon goals and the broader United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, stimulating innovation motivation within environmental protection enterprises holds significant strategic importance for achieving long-term sustainability. Drawing on institutional theory and signaling theory, this study examines how government subsidies influence the sustainable innovation performance in China’s environmental protection industry and investigates the boundary conditions and mechanisms of this relationship from a socio-economic and integrated policy perspective. Using a sample of 121 listed environmental protection enterprises in China from 2016 to 2025, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of government subsidies on both the quantity and quality of innovation output. It innovatively incorporates the market-driven factor of public environmental attention into the analytical framework to test its moderating effect and examines the mediating role of corporate social responsibility. The findings indicate that government subsidies significantly enhance both the quantity and quality of innovation output from environmental protection enterprises, thereby contributing to their sustainability transition. Public environmental attention positively moderates the innovation-incentivizing effect of government subsidies, with a stronger moderating effect on innovation quality than on quantity. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the incentive effect of government subsidies on innovation quantity is significant only in the eastern and western regions of China, while the effect on innovation quality is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises and the western region, offering insights for region-specific and ownership-specific sustainable policy designs. Mechanism analysis indicates that government subsidies promote innovation performance by encouraging firms to fulfill corporate social responsibilities, with CSR serving as a partial mediator. These findings extend institutional and signaling theories to the context of environmental protection enterprises and provide a framework for quantifying and monitoring the effectiveness of sustainability policies. Based on the conclusions, relevant policy optimization suggestions are proposed to align industrial innovation with the principles of sustainable development. Full article

This study revisits the globalisation–sustainability nexus by focusing on the divergence between formal policy commitments and realised integration. While the 2030 Agenda assumes coherence across the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), empirical evidence increasingly points to uneven progress and systemic trade-offs. We introduce the concept of the globalisation implementation gap, defined as the normalised difference between de jure commitments and de facto integration, and examine its impact on SDG performance. Using a panel dataset of 101 countries over the period of 2000–2023 (N = 2197), we construct gap indices based on the KOF Globalisation framework and estimate two-way fixed-effects models with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors. The results reveal a significant negative association between implementation gaps and overall SDG performance. However, this relationship is highly heterogeneous across goals. Larger gaps are strongly negatively associated with social outcomes, particularly poverty reduction (SDG 1), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), and sustainable cities (SDG 11), while being positively associated with certain environmental outcomes, including responsible consumption (SDG 12) and apparent biodiversity protection (SDG 15)—the latter, however, is interpreted as associational only, given evidence of reverse causation in placebo lead-testing. Further analysis using panel threshold regression demonstrates that governance quality moderates this relationship non-linearly. Above a critical threshold of institutional quality, the magnitude of the negative gap–SDG association increases substantially, suggesting that stronger governance amplifies rather than buffers the association. In addition, Gaussian mixture clustering identifies three distinct country archetypes (Balanced, Informal, and Policy-Led Integrators). A diagnostic placebo lead test indicates that the SDG 15 association is associational rather than causal (likely reverse causation), and the result for SDG 15 is therefore reported with that caveat. Each is characterised by different gap structures and sustainability trade-offs. Overall, the findings shift the perspective from a uniform globalisation–SDG relationship to a goal-specific and governance-contingent framework. The study highlights the importance of aligning policy commitments with actual integration processes and provides policy-relevant insights for managing SDG trade-offs under conditions of globalisation. The headline gap–SDG association is conditional on the listwise sample of 101 countries with complete data and on Driscoll–Kraay variance estimation; sensitivity analyses show that the result attenuates under multiple imputation on the full 208-country panel and loses statistical significance under cluster-robust standard errors, while the political-channel decomposition and the governance threshold remain robust under both stress tests. Full article

The International Conference on Plant Biodiversity and Sustainability is a global forum dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge and collaborative action in plant diversity, conservation, and sustainable development. Bringing together established and early-career researchers as well as students from diverse fields, the conference underscores the urgent need to protect plant resources and foster sustainable solutions. By promoting an open, interdisciplinary environment, the event encourages dialogue among botanists, ecologists, agronomists, biotechnologists, chemists, and related experts, integrating multiple perspectives to address biodiversity challenges comprehensively, especially in the field of medicinal and aromatic plants. Aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the conference covers a wide range of topics, including habitat conservation, ecological restoration, ethnobotany, climate change adaptation, sustainable agriculture, technological and biotechnological innovation, and science-based policy approaches. The scientific program features keynote lectures by internationally recognized experts, thematic oral sessions, hands-on workshops, and collaborative roundtables designed to stimulate discussion and knowledge exchange. Participants present cutting-edge research, innovative methodologies, and case studies highlighting both theoretical advances and practical applications. Panel discussions and networking opportunities further support new partnerships, joint research efforts, and capacity-building initiatives, strengthening the global community committed to biodiversity protection. Beyond sharing scientific results, the conference emphasizes the importance of connecting research with policy and real-world practice. Contributions therefore address decision-making frameworks, community engagement, nature-based solutions, and the use of emerging technologies for monitoring and managing plant ecosystems. This multidimensional approach ensures that the event not only showcases academic excellence but also contributes to concrete strategies that inform governance, education, and sustainable land-use planning, with a particular focus on plant resources. Full article

The global imperative for climate action and the accelerating energy transition have positioned higher-education institutions (HEIs) as vital laboratories for achieving carbon neutrality. In full alignment with Türkiye’s national commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2053, this study develops and optimizes a phased roadmap for Erciyes University, a major public institution, to transition its energy system toward full sustainability. The research focuses on the techno-economic and environmental optimization of a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) integrating solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and locally sourced biomass resources to meet the campus’s annual electricity demand of 30.4 GWh. Using the HOMER Pro simulation tool, three strategic scenarios were evaluated: short-term (2030), medium-term (2040), and long-term (2053). System performance was assessed based on sizing, net present cost (NPC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. Results reveal that renewable energy penetration levels of 30–70% can reduce GHG emissions by over 60% and lower NPC by up to 31% compared with a fully grid-dependent baseline. In the final stage, configurations with 80–90% renewable fractions achieved the optimal balance between deep decarbonization and economic viability, whereas the fully off-grid system achieved zero emissions at a higher cost due to extensive storage requirements. Overall, this research presents a scalable, data-driven framework for sustainable campus energy transitions, providing a replicable model for HEIs and policymakers advancing national net-zero agendas. Full article

Higher education institutions have been identified as playing a pivotal role in the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through teaching, research, and professional training. However, previous studies indicate that the integration of the SDGs into students’ learning processes remains uneven, with students often demonstrating general awareness but limited structured knowledge of the 2030 Agenda. This exploratory case-based study examines how SDGs are encountered, understood, and appropriated by university students at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica within a 2024–2025 collaborative project with the National System of Accreditation of Higher Education (SINAES). A mixed-method, cross-sectional design was employed using a structured questionnaire administered to 434 students across campuses and disciplines. The study analyzes the relationship between exposure, knowledge, and disciplinary appropriation. Findings show that while institutional visibility of the SDGs is associated with greater conceptual familiarity (r = 0.85; p < 0.01), this does not necessarily translate into their integration within disciplinary training. Students tend to interpret the SDGs primarily as ethical frameworks, with limited connection to professional practice. These results suggest that the main challenge lies not in awareness, but in curricular and pedagogical integration, highlighting the need to approach SDG implementation as a situated educational process shaped by disciplinary contexts and learning environments. Full article

Within the context of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), this study draws on a Web of Science dataset (n = 815, 1991–2025) and employs a mixed approach combining scientometric mapping with framework analysis and tool comparison. It systematically reviews the knowledge structure, methodological evolution, and tool genealogy of Campus Sustainability Assessment (CSA). The results reveal a paradigmatic shift from an operations-oriented focus to a whole-of-institution and impact-oriented perspective. Representative tools can be grouped into five categories by purpose—improvement-oriented, ranking and benchmarking, education and curriculum, standards and certification, and policy advocacy and recognition—and can be mapped onto the four domains of governance, academics, operations, and engagement in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Synthesizing quantitative and qualitative evidence, three systemic shortcomings are identified: excessive reliance on self-reporting with limited verification, insufficient evidence of learning outcomes and key competencies, and weak interoperability of indicators across educational stages and frameworks. Looking ahead, four actionable research pathways are proposed: (1) assessment of key competencies centered on learning outcomes with stronger curriculum–practice alignment; (2) policy–indicator interoperability and vertical integration grounded in SDGs and national or sectoral standards; (3) stakeholder co-design enabling an assessment–improvement loop; and (4) remote-sensing-based multi-scale monitoring and data governance. The contribution of this study lies in advancing a unified four-domain framework under a process–outcome–impact evidence chain, while suggesting cross-stage and cross-tool alignment and complementarity. This provides methodological support and an implementation roadmap for shifting CSA from measuring performance to empowering improvement. Full article

Background: Mental healthcare has emerged as a major public health issue in the aftermath of COVID-19 worldwide due to global health system challenges which hinder effective healthcare. In this, there is a knowledge gap on research exploring the perceived quality of mental healthcare amongst hospital-based health workers with a particular focus on knowledge and practice, organization and system, and job satisfaction factors for an insight towards strengthening ongoing effort for the realization of the universal health coverage goal of the comprehensive global mental health action plans. The aim of this study was to assess health workers’ perceptions of quality in mental healthcare at three district hospitals in Johannesburg, South Africa. Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional research design was used on a stratified random sample of 160 health workers recruited as participants at the three selected hospitals in Johannesburg. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and then subjected to descriptive statistical analysis using SPSS Version 29. Results: It was established that healthcare workers’ at the three district hospitals in Johannesburg were generally familiar with mental health guidelines and mental disorders which resulted in better patient engagement and prioritisation of mental health as being important as physical health. However the majority of these healthcare workers perceived the quality of mental healthcare at the three hospitals was low. Further assessment however revealed that these perceptions may have emanated from organizational and system incapacity, and limited satisfaction with compensation and benefits, recognition for work done and limited training. Conclusions: Health worker perceptions of quality in mental healthcare help provide an insight into what health systems may need to address mental health service delivery. The study of the three hospitals in Johannesburg, South Africa underscore the need to reinforce knowledge sharing through healthcare worker training, strengthen organisational and system capacity, provide adequate remuneration and benefits, and reinforce clear referral pathways and collaboration with specialists for the realisation of quality improvement and sustenance in pursuing the universal health coverage goal of the WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plans and the Sustainable development Agenda on health of 2030 and beyond. Full article

This paper examines DisAbitanti, a participatory cultural initiative developed in Corigliano d’Otranto (Grecìa Salentina, Southern Italy) to explore how performative and community-based practices may contribute to sustainable and proximity tourism in small heritage towns. The study adopts an exploratory qualitative case study design, combining participatory action research and artistic research, drawing on participant observation, reflective field diaries, semi-structured interviews with local actors and participants, and analysis of project materials and relevant local planning documents. The analysis identifies a set of emerging patterns suggesting that the reactivation of abandoned or underused spaces through site-specific performances and collective storytelling is associated with forms of resident participation, reconfiguration of resident–visitor roles, and off-season cultural activation. These dynamics contribute to strengthening local identity and social cohesion, while highlighting the role of cultural practice in place-based governance processes. The analysis indicates that performative interventions can act as catalysts for the emergence of informal governance dynamics within the case study, connecting local associations, artists, residents, and cultural organizers. This claim is supported by empirically observed indications, including the number and diversity of actors involved and the emergence of new collaborative interactions. While the findings are not intended to be generalizable, they provide analytical insight into how performative practices may enable forms of place-based coordination around heritage use and spatial activation, linking heritage experience to habitability and spatial equity. The paper concludes that DisAbitanti offers a context-sensitive approach for translating sustainability principles—consistent with the UN 2030 Agenda—into situated tourism governance practices, with potential relevance for other small inner peripheral towns facing seasonality and spatial marginalization. Full article

Monitoring progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8) requires analytical tools that enable flexible and transparent assessment of multiple indicators. However, existing monitoring approaches are usually based on predefined indicator sets and static analytical frameworks, which limit their adaptability. This study develops and demonstrates a computer-assisted system for monitoring SDG 8 achievement. The system integrates automatic data retrieval from Eurostat, flexible selection of indicators, countries, and years, procedures for handling missing data, and alternative options for constructing a synthetic index. The system was tested in an illustrative case study for European Union countries using Eurostat data for 2015–2023. The empirical application initially covered 19 indicators (11 core SDG 8 indicators and 8 supplementary indicators) for 27 EU countries, while the final analytical sample included 24 countries after data-based exclusions. The results showed substantial differences in SDG 8 achievement trajectories across countries: some countries maintained relatively stable high positions over time (e.g., Italy, Estonia, Germany, and Austria), whereas others recorded marked improvement (e.g., Ireland, Denmark, Cyprus, Lithuania, and Latvia). These findings confirm the practical usefulness of the proposed tool for data processing, comparative assessment, and evidence-informed monitoring of SDG 8 progress. Full article

This study examines the multicultural school as a micro-organizational unit, focusing on the interplay of power relations, organizational culture, and everyday pedagogical practices. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with educators at the 16th General Lyceum of Thessaloniki, the analysis situates school life within broader institutional and normative frameworks. Grounded in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), specifically Target 4.7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the findings show that while educators actively promote intercultural coexistence and democratic participation, their initiatives are constrained by centralized governance and curricular rigidity. Nonetheless, teachers’ personal agency and informal leadership play a crucial role in fostering inclusion, care, and global citizenship values at the micro-organizational level. The study contributes theoretically by reframing the multicultural school through an organizational sociology lens, emphasizing the micro-politics of discretion, institutional logics, and cultural reproduction within school settings. Practically, it highlights the need for structural policy reforms that move beyond reliance on individual teacher initiative and institutionalize inclusive, care-oriented, and sustainability-driven practices within centralized educational systems. Full article